In response to J.B. (World 17/10):
The hysterical frenzy of the mainstream corporate media's smear campaign against Trump is unprecedented in American electoral history. Accusations of presumed, but large unproven sexual conduct against women distract voters from the real issues a Trump administration might bring about. The old conservative political corporate media establishment, closely intertwined with the military industrial complex is obviously in panic. During past elections the main theme of candidates has always been change; change that never eventuated. Obama's slogan for change was: "Yes we can", but it never happened. A Clinton presidency will certainly not bring any change, but only much of the same and worse. Her paranoid, bellicose attitude towards Russia does not spell much good for the world's future, not for the American people. She is bound to continue the status quo, leading to more wars, killing thousands of innocents all over the world. Trump stands for diplomacy in international affairs and rapprochement to Russia; dismantling the sprawl of US military bases all over the world and loosening ties with NATO, which will free trillions of dollars for the real changes he envisages for domestic social programs and the improvement of the lives of millions of Americans living right now in dire poverty. That and only that are the main issues; not smears, gossip, lies and innuendo.

Sunday, October 9, 2016

Watching TV One News last night on the downing of MH 17 following the JIT report, several pictures were shown purporting to be 'evidence' that the plane was shot down by a Buk missile. That these pictures were faked becomes clearly evident from the one showing the smoke trail in the sky of a missile launch. If that picture would have been really genuine (could of course been taken anywhere) than this contrail would surely have been captured on camera by hundreds if not thousands of people that were in the area at the time and without a shadow of doubt would have been splashed all over the western mainstream news media, as well as be on YouTube, Instagram etc. right from day one within hours. So if that picture is a fake and there is no doubt it is, than one could question marks behind all the other pictures as well. One can also wonder why these separatists would have incriminated themselves when days after the plane had been shot down they handed the black boxes - which could have contained vital evidence of their culpability - over to the authorities. The whole story does not make one iota of sense.
Friday 30 Sept. 2016
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The 'Times' article (World 5/10), is in need of a correction. The nose-dive rrealtions between Russia and the US was not due to Russia's 'annexation' of Crimea as was wrongly stated, but was the result of the American orchestrated illegal coup at Maidan in Kiev in February 2014 and the subsequent revolt of the Russian speaking population in the eastern parts of the Ukraine against the newly installed Kiev regime. The people of Crimea are for 65% Russian and following a referendum chose to rejoin the Russian federation, which was accomplished in an exceptionally peaceful way. It should therefore be described as an accession, not an 'annexation'. There were celebrations in the streets, as shown on TV worldwide. Not a single shot was fired, so actually Crimea was very fortunate to have avoided the same fate that befell the people of the Donbas in the east of Ukraine. However since Khrushchov in 1954 decided to make Crimea part of the then Soviet Ukraine, it has always retained under mutual agreement its naval base there and a contingent of the Russian military.
Wednesday 5 October 2016
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Anyone following the international news, both from corporate and alternative sources, know that the world has arrived at an extremely dangerous point in history, even more dangerous than the 1963 Cuban crisis. In the ME and particularly Syria the two major nuclear powers are now directly confronting each other. The US is mulling a 'no fly zone' over Syria. If that comes to pass the world will be on the brink of a nuclear disaster. You cannot dismiss this out of hand as mere 'scaremongering'. that would be simply irresponsible. The world is lowly inching towards a World War III which will most like be a nuclear war.
Friday 7 October 2016
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May I remind your correspondent Wayne Hawker (8/10) that Russia is fighting the Islamic State in Syria, which is now overtly supported with weapons by the U.S., Saudi Arabia and Turkey. If he has forgotten the heinous atrocities such as beheadings, crucifixions etc. these terror groups have perpetrated, I suggest that he gets hold of some few year old news papers. The U.S. and its allies main objectives have always been right from the beginning the overthrow of the Assad legitimate government and exploiting these terror groups, operating under various ever changing names to achieve their goal. Russia on numerous occasions have asked the Americans to separate the so called 'moderates' from the terrorists, but America was unable to do so, since there are no 'moderates'. It is simply re-branding the various terrorists groups. If it was not for the supply of American arms to these Islamists, this war could have been over years ago. So it was thanks to Russian intervention a year ago that has now turned the tide and prevented the black flag being hoisted over Damascus.
8 October 2016
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Referring to the article headed 'Blame Game' (Press 23/9) it struck me that the Islamic terrorists were not mentioned, even though they most likely are the perpetrators of this crime (bombing humanitarian food convoy) .One may wonder why Mr Kerry did not mention them, but instead blames Russia and the Syrian government of the attack, which took place only days after American war planes during a two hour sustained attack, killed ('accidentally of course) 83 Syrian soldiers, allowing the terrorists to overrun a Syrian stronghold. However looking at photos and video footage of the attack on the food convoy, it becomes abundantly evident that no bombings from the air could have caused the destruction, as there were no bomb craters and the cabin fronts were still virtually undamaged. Aerial bombings would have completely destroyed the trucks and turned them into scrap metal. . A pick-up truck pulling howitzer moving alongside the convoy was photographed from the air. A drone had also been reported in the air before the attack occurred, which could also have been attacking the convoy. The American military establishment is known to have been unhappy with the cease fire agreement struck with Russia only days before these two attacks took place. Drones have been used before in assassination attacks on individuals because of their ability to pinpoint accurately their targets and explains why the trucks were still partly in tact.
12 October 22016
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Good to see that Darryl Horne recognizes the plight of the Palestinian people, but blaming Hamas and Fatah for their terrible now 70 year long fate. By the way Fatah is the party situated in the West Bank presided by President Abbas, which is blamed for colluding with the Israelis. Mr Horne then goes on what a 'wonderful state Israel' is. No wonder you can built a 'wonderful state' if you can count on three billion dollars (thirty billion over ten years) annually from your sponsors in America. If Israel as the victors in the 1948 war had adopted right from the beginning a more humane, tolerant and understanding face towards these from their land and homes driven people, including compensation; abide by United Nation Resolution and Geneva Convention of the 'Right to Return', we might to-day have seen a very different situation in that part of the world. But no Israel's objectives to this very day have always remained the same as we can quite clearly discern in the continued annexation of the West Bank. As long as Israel continues along this path, I am afraid there won't be any peace in the Middle East.
14 October 20116
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"Here is my analysis as an ex-Boeing aero-engineer:
The Boeing 777 was initially at 33,000 ft. The aircraft, therefore was above the Su-25's (Ukrainian fighter jet) ceiling, as listed at Wikipedia. (service ceiling: 7000 m = 22,965 ft. clean, 5000 m (16,000 ft.) with max weapons.. I am aware of the comments both sides that this is an artificial, CIA-changed figure and that Su-25 pilots have reached at least 30,000 ft. with supplemental oxygen. For the purpose here, it does not matter. I am presuming the Su-25 was carrying only two R-60 air to air missiles, which are low drag. So the service ceiling in this case would have been around 21- 22,000 ft. (the upgrades to the Su-25 did not include engine or aerodynamic changes, so are unlikely to have increased the ceiling). The 777 was within reach of the R-60s, though (66,000 ft, Match 2.7). As a non-maneuvering transport aircraft, it would have been laughable easy to hit the 777. It would have salvo-ed both missiles, both for increased hit chances and to avoid coming back with only one missile (very noticeable, as opposed to just empty pylons). The above would tie in with ret. Col Zhilin's testimony. Most reports indicate the accompanying jet-fighter was closing from he rear, which is the most advantageous for infra-red guidance. With infra-red guidance, the missile would home-in directly on the hottest area - the engine exhaust. The warhead would probably detonate in the exhaust cone adjacent to it. In the Boeing 777, the engine is slung well out in the front of the wing. The expanding-rod warhead would rip up the engine but probably not take out the wing or the flight control cabling. The 'hit' (or hits) might indeed be survivable, (which explains FA Minister Timmermans unintended off the cuff remark that some passengers still had their oxygen masks on) To-days engines are built with FAA-mandated 'containment shields' They are meant to contain high velocity fan/compressor/turbine blades if something causes them to shear-off. They are basically armored 'cans' surrounding the rotating parts. A missile detonating inside this 'can' might have the expanding-rods contained, rather than punching through the nacelle and into the fuselage. If detonating on the far side of this e'can' from the fuselage, much the same result...Also Col Zhinlin says:...."the Boeing turned 180 degrees to the left". This would be the direct result of loosing thrust on the left engine. The pilots were probably more concerned with staying in the air (under control) than their heading....(http://www.boeing.com/assets/pdf/commercial/startup/pdf/777perf.pdf)Engine -out altitude capability (MTOW,ISA + 10C) Basic: 16,200 ft Maximum Weight: 15,600ft"
After the 777's engine was hit and disabled by the R-60, the 777 would have descended to around 15-16,000 feet. That is the standard one-engine out 'cruise altitude as above. It may have been below with damage. If I were the pilot, I would have been on a circling descent through and below that altitude looking for a nearby airport or good field. Since the R-60 ha such a small warhead, the pilots may not have known they were hit by a missile and assumed engine-out problem that could account for the lack of initial reporting.(and sent out mayday calls, which must have been received by Kiev ACT and recorded on the flight recorders, but have never been released or revealed * my addition).
The decent would have put the 777 well within the Su25 (Wikipedia) altitude capability. So it would have been possible at that point to conduct a 'strafing' run with 30 mm cannons. With the 777 turning, that may have presented the opportunity for whatever angle shot the pilot wanted. As various commentators have noted, there seem to have been a concentration on the cockpit and avionics bay. Unfortunately, with the 'secrecy agreement' in place, I see no way that any important evidence will be revealed, barring a Snowdon-like release by someone with a conscience......"

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

The JIT (Joint Investigation Team) report has just been released to day 29/09/2016. Although it does not mention Russia directly it is clear that it attempts to invoke in the unsuspecting public mind Russia's implication by association and continue the controversy. Its findings are merely a cover up and on closer look does not add up. In this post I will mainly concentrate on MOTIVES, in my view an essential important aspect of the investigation which so far have been entirely ignored.

1) East Ukrainian separatists did find the MH17 black boxes. They handed these boxes in good faith over to the Malaysian authorities, within days after they were found. They were then subsequently handed over to a British forensic aviation laboratory for examination. These recording have never been made public and were completely ignored by JIT claiming they did not reveal anything important or relevant (?!).

Looking at it from a separatist perspective these recorders could have revealed vitally incriminating evidence, nevertheless they did indeed hand them over spontaneously to the Malaysian authorities, an event that was widely televised all over the world. So ask yourself if these separatists had really been the perpetrators of this crime, would they have incriminated themselves by handing over evidence that could have proven their culpability ? What criminal would be so stupid to do that. They could have destroyed the black boxes, handed them over to the Russians (which in hindsight they should have done) or something like that, but they did not. This is an extremely important point that should not conveniently be glossed over.

2) There are two parties here Russia and Ukraine who both are in possession of various types of Buk missiles systems. This means that after the downing of the MH17 both were suspects, before any investigation took place. Nevertheless Ukraine becomes part of the investigation team, while Malaysia who owns the plane and had also a great number of casualties was initially excluded (they were first admitted in December in an 'observer' capacity). However Russia has been accused straight from day one, before any investigation had even started on grounds of American satellite images. These images have to this very day never been released.
The question however is: why should Russia smuggle a Buk missile system across the border with the aim to shoot down a civilian passenger plane in broad daylight. The vapor trail of a Buk missile is visible for a long time over a wide area, as much as up to 30 kms. Also its rumble would have been heard from a big distance. It follows from this that the picture in the JIT report of a missile launch must without a shadow of doubt be a fake and being faked we should put question marks behind all the other pictures as well. Because the vapor trail would have been captured on camera by hundreds of people in the area and within hours splashed over all the western media, YouTube, Instagram and what have you. If the JIT picture was genuine it would have been published right from day one. You cannot launch a Buk missile in broad daylight and no one has seen it. It only goes to prove that no missile launch had happened. While both sides deploy Buk missiles the absurdity of the story goes that separatist had to secretly smuggle one over the border from Russia, while Ukraine which had several Buk installations becomes part of the "investigation" team. Besides Russia being such a reportedly very bureaucratic state, it is hard to believe that a Buk installation an be 'stolen' from a military compound that easy.
What political, military, strategic or other benefits would that have brought Russia or the separatists, other than giving their adversaries in the west a perfect propaganda medium.
The question is Ce bono? Who benefitted. That question is not so difficult to answer I think, if we look at the western media.

Friday, September 23, 2016

United Nation's ambassador Churkin's comments (Press 19/9) do not come as a surprise, when he stated that the United States is backing ISIS terrorists, whose aim is to establish an Islamic State in Syria. America is using ISIS and related terrorists groups as their "boots on the ground" in their vain attempts to oust President Assad and still hasn't given up on that long term goal, which over the years was accompanied by an intense disinformation campaign, false accusations and demonization of Syria's head of state in the western corporate media. This becomes even more evident when we remember TV footage of long columns of ISIS Toyota pick-ups and oil trucks traversing freely in broad daylight through the open desert to Turkey to sell the stolen oil., while American planes - ostensibly - were 'bombing' terrorist targets in Iraq and Syria. However, are we to believe that America with its highly sophisticated intelligence apparatus has missed to locate these canibals and head choppers? It was not until Russia exactly one year ago intervened and reversed the tide to the advantage of the Syrian Arab Army, very much to the chagrin and frustrations of the US neaocons intentions.
19 September 2016

PLAYING THE BLAME GAME

In reference to the article headed 'Playing the Blame Game" (Press 23/9) it struck me that the Islamic terrorists were not mentioned, even though they most likely are the perpetrators of the attacks on the humanitarian food convoy in Aleppo. One may wonder why Mr. Kerry did not mention them, but instead blames Russia and the Syrian government of the attacks, which took place only days after American warplanes killed (accidentally of course!) 83 Syrian soldiers and injured a hundred more., allowing the terrorists to overrun a Syrian stronghold. However looking at photos and video footage of the attack on the food-convoy it becomes abundantly clear that no bombings from the air could have caused the destruction, as there were no bomb craters and the truck cabins were still virtually undamaged. (Syrian plane do not fly during the night). Aerial bombings (Mr Kerry initially stated two hours of relentless bombings, but later changed that) would have without a shadow of doubt have complete obliterated the trucks and would have reduced them to scrap metal. A drone had been spotted in the air right before the attack occurred. Drones are able to accurately pin-point their targets. They have been used in assassination attacks on individuals. So there is also a possibility that the attack was carried out by a drone, which also explains why the fronts of the trucks were still almost unscathed. A thorough investigation will probably reveal the truth.
23 September 2016